Coming Back To A New Friend
by Elypsus
Summary: After three years of training, Naruto returns to the Hidden Leaf Village. When he meets up with all of his friends, he notices a new face.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: Masashi Kishimoto owns Naruto. I only own the story**

_**Hidden Leaf Gates**_

 _ **Third Person P.O.V**_

"It's good to finally be back in the village." A certain loudmouth genin says.

"We should go report to Tsunade that we have returned." His perverted mentor tells him.

"Can't you do that? I want to hang out with the others." Said genin whines.

"Tough luck, brat. We are both going. Tsunade would probably get mad at me if I let wander off before she gets the chance to see you, anyway." Jiraiya tells him.

"Fine, but after we get all caught up, you can expect me to jump out of that window." He says as he starts moping off towards the Hokage's Tower.

*Time Skip*

"Well Naruto, it's been nice catching up with you. I'm glad to hear everything went well. You are dismissed." Lady Tsunade said.

"Thanks, bye Granny Tsunade." The knucklehead ninja said quickly before running and jumping out the open window.

"How many time do I have to tell you, do not call me that!" Tsunade shouted out after him.

Naruto chuckled as he heard her yell after him.

While falling, Naruto pushed chakra to his feet and stuck to the wall, quickly moving his feet to the same speed he was falling. Once he hit the ground, he turned left and ran up the Hokage Mountain.

Once he reached the top, he sat on the the Fourth Hokage's head. He began searching for his classmates. Using his altitude as am advantage to see wide distances. After a minute or so, he saw them all leaving a Dango shop.

He jumped to his feet, then began running down the face of the mountain. He ducked and dodged throughout the civilians, trying to get to his friends quickly. His friends were in sight, so he yelled, "Hey guys, long time no see, huh?" This got their attention.  
They turned to see who it was. Once they recognized him, there were many faces of shock, happiness, and one really red face.

"Naruto, it's been so long." Tenten said.

"Yeah, what has it been, two years?" Kiba asked.

"It's been about three years,actually." Neji supplied.

"Whatever the amount, we are glad you're back!" Lee shouted.

"Hey Naruto, don't be too troublesome." Shikamaru said.

"Tenten, Kiba, Shino, Lee, Shikamaru, Choji, Neji, Hinata, Ino, Sakura, and- who is this?" Naruto asked, referring to a girl their age, with purple hair tied up in a short ponytail, dull eyes, deep purple shirt, ANBU pants, and black shinobi sandals.

"This is Anko." Sakura informed.

"Anko? Wasn't she that sadistic woman from the second stage of the Chunin exams?" Naruto asked.

"Well, that's the keyword, _was._ She's different now, as you can see." Sakura told him.

"You must be Naruto. I've heard so much about you. I'm Anko, but you know that." Anko said, holding out her hand. Naruto hesitantly shook it, thinking it was some kind of trap.

"Well we really should all get caught up. How about we all go get barbecue later on?" Naruto asked. Choji was the first to agree. Soon after, everyone voiced their agreement.

"Cool, let's meet up, say,8:00?" Naruto asked. Once again, everyone agreed. Soon after, everyone broke off into seperate conversations, each group going their own way.


	2. A Night Out

_**A/N:The restaurant is just something I can up with, most likely doesn't exist in the Narutoverse.**_

 _ **Akimichi's Barbecue**_

 _ **Third Person P.O.V**_

"So that's how my training went." Naruto said, finishing his story.

"Wow, sounds like you had quite the journey." Choji said.

"Yeah, you could say that. So what happened while I was gone?" Naruto asked.

"Me and Hinata started dating." Kiba threw out before anyone else could say anything.

"The same with Neji and I." Tenten said.

"Wow, congrats you four." Naruto said.

"Other than couples, what happened?" He continued.

"We all became Chunins." Sakura told him.

"What?! All of you? Even Kiba?" He asked

"Hey!" Kiba shouted.

"Well, except Anko, seeing as she joined us about six months ago." Ino said.

"Oh yeah, so what's the deal with you, Anko?" Naruto asked.

"Idiot, that's not how you ask a lady something." Sakura said as she smacked Naruto on the head.

"It's fine, Sakura. But, Naruto, I'd like to tell you at a later date." Anko told them.

"Oh, that's fine. Tell me whenever you're ready." Naruto told Anko.

"Wait, what?" Tenten asked.

"When did you become so respectful of people?" Sakura asked, her mouth ajar.

"What do you mean?" The genin in question asked.

"You usually would pry until she spoke." Ino answered.

"Oh, that. Well Pervy Sage did teach me some stuff." He told them.

From that point, the conversation slowly dwindled. People leaving at different times, except for Kiba and Hinata, and Tenten and Neji. Soon it was just Naruto and Anko engrossed in random conversations.

"Is that true, Sakura?" Anko asked after Naruto finished a story. They both looked around, noticing everyone left.

"Huh, guess they all left." Naruto said.

"You two should leave, too. It's closing time." Choza, Choji's father, said.

"Oh, sorry, we'll be heading out now." Anko told him. With that, the two teenagers left.

"So where to now?" Anko asked.

"Huh? I thought you were going to go home." Naruto told her.

"No, it's too early for that." Anko informed him.

"Oh, then where to?" Naruto asked.

"Hmm, how about Ichiraku's?"

"Definitely. That place is my favorite."

"Then let's head out." With that, Anko grabbed Naruto's hand, making him blush profusely, then dragged him to his favorite noodle shop. Once they made it, they both sat down to enjoy a their own favorites. Naruto with a Miso ramen, Anko with her own special concoction of different ramens. Neither of them had any time to talk, as they were both devouring bowl after bowl. When they each finished their twentieth bowl, they sat their talking about anything that came to mind.

When it was one in the morning, Teuchi, the shop owner, told them the time, and had them leave.

"You still up for some more fun, or is it finally time get some rest?" Naruto asked.

"I think it's finally time to get some sleep." Anko replied.

On their way to Anko's apartment, they talked about how weird Guy and Lee are.

"Well this is my place." Anko told Naruto once they arrived.

"Well I should head out. I need some rest after tonight." Naruto told his companion.

"Yeah, we both need sleep. We have to be ready for our team's missions to

tomorrow."

"Yeah. Wait, what? Our team's missions?"

"Yeah, didn't Sakura tell you, Team 7 needed another member, so they chose me."

"Oh, well I guess I'll see youtomorrow."

"Yeah, bye." With that, Anko walked into her apartment, and Naruto started walking home, contemplating his night with his new teammate.


	3. The New Team 7 Meets

_**Training Ground 7**_

 _ **Third Person P.O.V**_

Naruto had gotten to his team' straining ground fairly early. He wasn't sure when his team would meet, so he showed up at eight o' clock.

"Damn, I should have asked what time to meet up."Naruto says in frustration.

"That would have been smart. Looks like you're as dumb as ever." Sakura tells him as she walks up to him, Anko in tow.

"I wasn't really thinking about it. Last night was way too much fun, ya know." He says in return.

"Yeah, it seems like you two really hit it off." Sakura said, talking about him and Anko. "And judging by how you're not confused as to why she's here, it seems like you know she's our new teammate." Sakura finished.

"Yeah, we continued hanging out until about one." Anko said, finally joining the conversation.

"So what time did he tell us to get here?" Naruto asked.

"Kakashi sensei said about nine." Anko said.

"Great, we have to wait for a few hours." Naruto said.

And that's what they did. They waited. There was sometimes a little small talk, but nobody ever got into a deep conversation. It was about ten when Naruto finally spoke up. "We should just start training, ya know."

"What do you mean?" Anko asked.

"Exactly what I said. There is a whole list of things we could do. Sparring, chakra control, chakra manipulation. The list keeps going. It definitely beats sitting around for who knows how long." Naruto told them. Sakura was surprised, seeing as Naruto use to be as dumb as a brick.

"So what do you say, are you in?" Naruto finished.

"Sure, why not." Anko spoke up.

"I'm in." Sakura said.

"How good is your chakra control?" Naruto asked them both.

"I have fairly good chakra control." Sakura said, Anko then said the same.

"Do you know your chakra elements?" Naruto asked.

"Mine is fire and lightning." Anko told him.

"I have earth and water." Sakura replied.

"Do either of you know jutsu in your respective chakra styles?"

"I know fire style: fireball jutsu and lightning senbon."

"I know water style: water dragon jutsu and earth style: mud wall."

"Those are some good jutsus. Pervy Sage taught me a couple jutsus in each element, as well as how to teach them."

"What jutsus do you know?" Anko asked.

"For fire, fireball jutsu, which you know, and fire dragon projectile. Lightning, I only learned the lightning bolt jutsu."

"What about for earth and water?"

"Earth, I know mudwall, which you know, and camouflage jutsu. Water, I know water prison jutsu, and water wall."

"Those are some pretty useful jutsus you know, Naruto." Kakashi said, casually walking up while reading Icha Icha Paradise.

"Believe it or not, sensei, but I didn't spend three years of my life just playing around."

"Well that's certainly good. How about we test what you learned?"

"That's an great idea. I can finally show you the skills I earned from three years of hard work."

"Did you forget about us?" Sakura said, finally speaking up.

"Yeah, we want in this action, too." Anko told them.

"Okay you three, since you're all so eager to fight me, let's have some fun. I'm sure Naruto and Sakura remember this challenge." Spoke Kakashi, as he held up two all too familiar bells.

 **A/N: What do you guys think about Naruto kind of assuming the substitute sensei for a few minutes. If you don't like it, that'll be the last you hear of it, if you do, then there might be more to come.**

 **Thanks for reading up to this point. Even though it's only the third chapter, am these chapters are pretty short(sorry about that), I'm glad some people enjoy my story.  
**


	4. Battle For The Bells

**Hidden Leaf Village**

 **Third Person P.O.V**

It was a peaceful day in the village of the leaves. Civilians going about their daily lives, shinobi reporting for their respective duties. All seemed normal.

That is, unless you were at Training Ground this particular patch of green, an all out spar was occurring. A certain silver haired, perverted Jonin was barely managing to hold his own against two Genin and a Chunin.

Everybody was tired, except for the blonde stamina freak. As of now, said blonde was charging up one of his favorite techniques, Rasengan.

He then ran at the scarecrow of a Jonin with said ball of energy. With his increased speed, and the fact that he now can create the spiraling sphere with a single hand, the pervert was caught by surprise, and narrowly dodged the attack by jumping over his attacker.

Right as Kakashi landed, Naruto threw his Rasengan at him, hitting him in the back, much to the surprise, and displeasure, of said Jonin.

Although the jutsu didn't send Kakashi flying, it still did a number on the Jonin. He stood up from his crouched position, only to discover he was immobilized due to snakes around his body. He looked over to see Anko holding the ram seal. He then realized it was her doing.

He then spotted Sakura walking up to him. She quickly took off the bells from his waist, just in time for the alarm to ring.

"Looks like you all pass. That was excellent teamwork." Said Kakashi as he put his forehead protector back over his eye.

"Thanks, it was Anko's idea." Naruto told him.

"Nonetheless, it was an excellent display of what this village strives for." Lectured Kakashi. Then he started again "Well as of now, you're all dismissed. Except Naruto. I want to speak to you for a minute." Said Genin grumbled, but complied in the end.

Once the other two were out of earshot, Kakashi began, "Naruto, I wanted to know a few things."

"What is it, sensei?"

"First off, where did you learn that camouflage jutsu? Nobody has used it since the Third Great Ninja War."

"The perv and I didn't just travel throughout the Land of Fire. We went through all the elemental nations. When we came across the Land of Earth, there was a particular veteran by the name of Ishikoro Suppai. He taught me a few things while Pervy Sage went out to peep on some women."

"Okay, and, when did you learn you could throw the Rasengan, or even do it without a clone?"

"That ones easy, after I left, about six months in, I got tired of wasting extra chakra on a clone to use the jutsu, so I focused on learning how to with one hand. As for throwing it, after I finally got it, I ran to go find Pervy Sage, but tripped on a rock, and the Rasengan flew bout of my hand, and hit a tree."

"Okay, thanks for the information, you can go now."

"Okay, take care now, Kakashi-sensei." Naruto said, using the body flicker jutsu to go find his teammates.

 **A/N: I will give a shoutout to anyone who can find out what the veteran shinobi's name means. Ishikoro is his first name.**

 **So how is the story so far? Any flaws I need to fix? Any advice will help. As long a it's constructive criticism.**

 **Anyway, thanks for reading.  
**


	5. A New Mission

**Reply to Rebmul on my last chapter:**  
 **I'm sorry about Anko, I just believe that he sadistic nature came from years of killing. She doesn't have that experience due to circumstances that I will reveal later into the story. As she does more killing, which she will, she will grow into that nature. I'll try to put in more emotions a well, but I'm not very good in that aspect. And finally unto Hinata and Kiba's relationship. I will explain that in the chapter following this one.**

 **Seeing as that's my only review, here is the chapter.**

* * *

**Hidden Leaf Village**

 **Third Person P.O.V**

Once Naruto had caught up with Anko, he asked where Sakura had gone, only to be informed that she was asked to help at the hospital.

As of now, they were walking aimlessly throughout the village, talking about what ever topic came up. At this moment, they were arguing about whether ramen or dango was better.

"Ramen is much better. Not only is it a good, but you can also drink the broth afterwards." Naruto told Anko.

To which she retorted, "That may be so, but dango is sweeter, thus better." Explained Anko.

"It would take at least twenty sticks of dango, for just one bowl of ramen."

"Normal people only eat one bowl of ramen at one time. But for some unknown reason, you like to eat twenty bowls in one sitting."

"I like to have enough energy for anything."

"You could probably go a week without eating and still be perfectly fine."

They continued to argue in such a way for a good twenty minutes. Their little dispute was interrupted by an Anbu summoning them both to the Hokage's office.

A good ten minutes later and they arrive to see Kakashi and another Jonin with strange eyes and a forehead protector that framed the sides of his face.

"There you are, Naruto, Anko. I would like to introduce the two of you to Yamato. He will be joining your team for am undetermined amount of time." Explained Lady Tsunade.

"What do you mean 'undetermined amount of time'?" Naruto asked. To which everyone sighed in dismay.

"I mean, his position on your team will be permanent until he is no longer needed." Explained the Sannin.

"Ah, well what about Sakura?" Questioned Naruto.

"She will be covering quite a few shifts at the hospital, seeing as we are a little short on staff. So until she is no longer needed at the hospital, this is Team 7." This time Kakashi being the one to speak.

"Is that all you wanted to speak to us about? Anko and I were having an important conversation." Naruto told her, to which Anko chuckled.

"I know exactly what you two were discussing, my Anbu told me of your, well, interesting conversation." Spoke Tsunade. Before continuing, "But no, that's not all I wanted to speak to you about. It has come to my attention that Orochimaru is dead."

Silence reigned over the room, interrupted by the Hokage speaking once more. "And the one that killed him was Sasuke." At those words, Naruto gained a grin, then spoke, "So that means he's coming back, right?"

His question was first met by a look of sadness on the Slug Princess' face. Then she spoke,"No, I'm afraid not. It seems he's gathering a team for some objective. We believe it's to hunt his brother, Itachi."

Nobody was so surprised by his course of action, save for two Genin. One was because she didn't know anything about this Uchiha. The other was because he wanted his friend to come back.

"Therefore, I am issuing a mission to Team 7, along with some trackers, to locate and apprehend Itachi Uchiha."

 **A/N:So Sasuke has killed Orochimaru, and is going after Itachi now. I kind of sped things up by a few months compared to canon.**

 **This may also be where Anko and Naruto's relationship escalates. But I may change that idea before I write the chapter.**

 **So what did you guys think about Naruto and Anko's discussion, Sakura being taken away from the team, and the chapter as a whole?**

 **Until next time, see ya.  
**


	6. The Start of a Relationship

_**First off, the chapter title does not refer to the main relationship. But a romantic relationship nonetheless. So without further ado, I present to you the next installment of Coming Back to a NewFriend.**_

* * *

 **Third Person P.O.V**

It had been one week since the mission to retrieve Itachi began. The search party consisted of Kakashi, Naruto, Anko, Yamato, Shino, Kiba, Hinata, Ino and Shikamaru.

They were all currently setting up camp after a long day of searching for Itachi Uchiha.

Yamato was creating housing with hi wood release. Naruto was using his multi shadow clone jutsu to fetch foo and water. Ino was making sure nothing was poisonous. While everyone else was either lazing about or unpacking the essentials for the night.

 _-Time Skip-_

Kakashi and Yamato decided to have two people per watch for the night. With five different shifts, each person had a little less than an hour and a half to watch. With the Jonins on their own due to their skill. The lineup was as follows: Shikamaru and Shino, Kakashi, Anko and Hinata, Yamato, and finally, Naruto and Kiba. Ino, being the medic-nin, needed her energy fullest, so she was without a shift.

It was currently the final shift, which was Naruto and Kiba. It was about half an hour into their shift, and they were both equally bored out if their minds. It was Naruto who initiated the conversation.

"Hey Kiba, I've been wondering something." Spoke up Naruto.

"What is that?" Asked Kiba.

"Well, it's just, before I left, Hinata was literally stalking me. And now, well, she's with you." Wondered Naruto.

"Are you jealous?" Teased Kiba.

"No, no. I'm happy for the both of you, it's just, well, how'd it happen?" Finished Naruto.

"Okay, I guess I can tell you. After all, you seem pretty closed to that Anko chick." Kiba said, nudging Naruto.

"What, no, I don't know what you're talking about. There's nothing going on there." Explained Naruto, visibly blushing.

"Okay, sure. And Inuzukas don't have dogs." Said Kiba, sarcastically.

"Yeah, whatever you say, onto the story." Urged Naruto, trying to get away from that topic.

"Oh yeah, me and Hinata. Okay, well, it was a little bit after you left..."

 _~Flashback~_

On the old swing set in front of the academy, there was a crying Hinata. She was in her normal tan jacket and Blue pants. Suddenly, she felt a hand on her shoulder.

She looked up to see her teammate, and close friend, Kiba Inuzuka.

"Hey Hinata, is there something wrong?" Asked the Inuzuka, ever so dim witted.

"N-No, I'm f-fine." Lied Hinata.

"Come on, we both know that's not true." Kiba said.

"Really, i-it's nothing. I'm j-just a l-little upset about N-Naruto leaving." With this sentence, another sob escaped her mouth.

"Don't be upset over a loser like him. What has he ever done for you?" Asked the dog lover.

"D-Don't c-call him a-a l-l-loser." Hinata said, upset her friend would degrade her crush like that.

"I'm sorry, it's just that he has never really done anything for you, besides make you upset." Kiba explained.

"Th-that's not true. H-he has d-done plenty f-for me. H-he cheered m-me on in th-the Chunin exams. He s-saved m-my life." She told him.

"That doesn't mean you should cry about him leaving. Plus, you should move on. You've been after him for about eight years, and nothing has happened. Maybe, you should start looking for some one else. Someone actually in The Hidden Leaf." Explained Kiba, looking down in embarrassment.

"Wh-what a-are y-you saying, K-Kiba?" Asked Hinata.

"Just that there might be someone else in the village that may like you." Explained a blushing Kiba.

"D-do you really th-think someone w-would like me." Questioned Hinata.

"Of course. You're amazing." Said Kiba, realizing what he said, they both blush.

"Th-thank you, Kiba."

 _~Flashback Off~_

"And after that, we started talking more outside of team practice, and then about a year after that, I asked her out. The rest is history." Finished Kiba.

"Huh, that was a wonderful story. Almost sounds like something out of a fairy tale." Naruto told him.

"It wasn't anything special." Kiba said, scratching the back of his head.

"As much as I'd love to continue this conversation, Dog-Breath, we have to wake the others up." Said Naruto.

"Hey, what did you just call me?" Kiba cried, but it fell on deaf ears as Naruto had already moved towards the first wooden tent. Coincidentally, it was Anko's.

 **Well that was the chapter. It's been almost a month since I last updated. Sorry to those that actually like this story. Which I doubt is many, but nonetheless, I wanted to apologize.**

 **As you can tell from reading the chapter, I did not further Naruto's and Anko's relationship directly. But I did explain how Kiba and Hinata started dating, or at least how they started talking.**

 **This is my longest chapter, passing 700 words. (I know, so many, right?) but I'm not good at writing a lot in one chapter.**

 **Well I will stop bothering you, so until next time, which hopefully won't be as long as last time, see ya.  
**


	7. First Encounter

**Somewhere in the Land of Fire**

In the forests of the Land of Fire, a man was lying in wait. What was he waiting for? His younger brother's former teammate. He could already sense the huge mass of chakra near him. It was only a matter of time before he was discovered. Before his prey could arrive, the man began coughing into his hand. After the short coughing spree, his hand was revealed to have blood coating it. The red substance splattered against his skin as if it was paint.

"You!" The man heard to his left. His guest had arrived. "Where is Sasuke?" Yelled the noisy blond.

"Tell me, Naruto, why are you so obsessed over my brother?" Asked Sasuke's brother.

"You have no right to call him your brother! You've never done anything for him except give him a life dedicated to revenge!" Naruto yelled. The man flinched, albeit unnoticed.

"That's enough, Naruto. Itachi knows what he did." A new figured jumped from a tree. This one wearing the normal Leaf Village Jounin attire with sliver, gravity-defying hair.

"Kakashi, how nice of you to join us." The man, now known as Itachi, stated.

"Has Naruto here told you why we are here?" Asked Kakashi.

"I'm afraid he has not. But I can't imagine it being any good for me." Itachi told them, in his usual monotone voice.

"Depends on how you loo-" Kakashi didn't finish that sentence due to Itachi beginning a set of hand seals. Neither Kakashi nor Naruto had any time to react to a crow flying into the ladder's mouth.

Naruto started coughing, trying to inhale some oxygen.

"What did you just do to him?" Kakashi asked.

"It was just a little gift." Itachi said, then he dispersed into a flock of crow before either of the Leaf shinobi could do anything.

"Naruto, are you okay?" Kakashi asked, rushing to his student's side.

"Yeah, I don't know what he did, but I don't feel any different." Explained Naruto.

"Hopefully it stays that way. Let's head back to base camp so we can tell the others." Kakashi told him.

With that, they both sped off to their camp, ready to explain what just happened.

 ***Time Skip***

"... and then Itachi dispersed into a cloud of crows." Finished Kakashi.

"Wow, seems like you had a fun time." Said Yamato.

"Hardly." Naruto said.

"What's wrong with him?" Yamato whispered to Kakashi.

"He's a little upset about not capturing Itachi." Explained Kakashi.

"Well onto the next matter at hand," Kakashi announced, "we will cease searches until word from Lady Hokage has arrived."

"What!? You can't do that! We need to find Itachi!" Naruto yelled out.

"I can, and I just did." Kakashi said in a matter-of-fact time.

"Don't you want to get Sasuke back, too? Or have you already given up on him?" Naruto asked, venom lacing his words.

"Enough, Naruto. Kakashi is the mission leader, so we will do as he says." Yamato told Naruto.

Without another word, Naruto stormed off, leaving the others in his wake.

 **A/N: This is a pretty short chapter, even for my standards. Sorry it's takes so long to update. School is actually doing stuff now, so I'm usually tired when I get home. But this is the new chapter. I hope you enjoyed it.  
**


	8. AN

**Hello everyone. I know it's been a while, but I've been busy with school and trying to find enough time to sleep so I won't be tired all the time. But, for those of you who actually enjoy this story, don't fret, for I am currently working on the next chapter. I intend for it to be the longest one yet, which, based on my other chapters, isn't that hard. Until next time, See ya.**


	9. An Old Face

As Naruto jumped through the forest, he thought about his encounter with Itachi. 'If only I had done more.' Naruto thought. 'This wouldn't have happened.'

Soon, it was nightfall. Naruto estimated being about half a day's travel from Konoha. He decided to settle down for the night. Naruto soon found a clearing to set up camp at. He jumped down and unsealed his sleeping bag. It didn't look like there

would be rain, so he didn't bother with a tent.

Naruto then did the handsign he had done so many times before and summoned ten shadow clones. The clones spread out evenly to watch for potential enemies. Once he was sure the coast was clear, he got in his sleeping bag and dozed off.

 ***Time Skip***

Naruto was jolted awake by the memory of one of his clones. It had been attacked. Naruto prepared himself for an attack. When he heard a leaf crunch, he threw a kunai in that direction. He assumed his attacker had moved, or at least used the substitution  
/jutsu, because all he heard was it hitting wood.

"Looks like the dead last still can't hit anything." A familiar voice called out. "I guess a screwup will always be a screwup."

"That voice," Naruto muttered to himself before calling out "Sasuke, is that you?"

"Looks like the idiot can still recognize my voice." The now identified Sasuke said, still hiding in the forest. "But that doesn't mean you're any less of an idiot." Sasuke continued.

"Come back to the village, Sasuke." Naruto said. "I promise you will not be punished." Shouting once again. There was silence for a few moment, as if the last Uchiha was contemplating the offer. Then, without warning, multiple kunai flew from the foliage. 

"Does that answer your question, loser?" Said Sasuke. Without waiting for a reply, he launched himself towards the blond. Said blond dodged the lunge by a few inches, then grabbed his rival, spun around, and threw him at a tree. Sasuke flipped in

the air, landing on the tree before launching once more. This time, he was ready for the jinchuriki's counterattack. Sasuke threw multiple shuriken, doubling his assault.

Naruto went to punch his former friend, but hadn't noticed the shuriken until a second before they hit. He braced himself for impact but was surprised when the scenery changed quickly.

He was now in a dark corridor of sorts. Naruto heard loud footsteps all around, as if someone was running around him. The blond was utterly confused now. Just a moment ago, he was in a forest, not Naruto, as it seemed to him, was underground. An idea  
/came to him. Naruto quickly made the ram seal, then, whilst flooding his system with chakra, said "Release."

The scenery reverted back to the forest. Luckily for him, the clones that survived Sasuke's initial assault were currently guarding him. By now, only three remained. Now that he was awake, it was four against one.

A barrage of shuriken and kunai alike shot from the trees surrounding the group of four. All of the Narutos immediately pulled out two kunai each and deflected all of the projectiles.

After about half a minute of just deflecting, the barrage ended. It was quickly replaced by a "Fire style: Grand Fireball Jutsu."

It sped through the trees as if they weren't there. All four of the blondes reacted quickly, each making their own Rasengan. All four of the spiraling balls if chakra were slammed into the mass of fire. It was a battle of technique. Soon, the fire  
/dissipated, and so did Naruto's clones' jutsus.

A good minute passed, and there was no movement from either side. Sasuke was surprised to see the hyperactive dead last being still for so long.

Before another minute could pass, Sasuke revealed himself. He was wearing a white collared shirt with the collar up and opened up to his sternum. Dark blue Anbu pants, grey Shinobi sandals, a blue apron-like cloth around his waist, and a purple rope  
/tied around his waist. Gripped in the rope is a sword with the Uchiha clan symbol on the hilt.

"I hadn't expected you to be able to stay still for so long, loser." Said Sasuke.

"You'll soon learn in full of surprises." The blonde said.

"As much fun as that sounds, I must be going." Sasuke said as he retreated back into the trees.

"Sasuke, wait!" Naruto called out, but by the time he reached where his friend had disappeared, there was no trace as to where he went.

 **A/N:Well, it's official, I think this is the longest chapter I've ever written. I'm sorry it's taken so long to update. I know I said this all in my author's note I posted a few minutes ago. Honestly, I meant to post that a few days ago, but my phone was messing up and it wouldn't post it. It's actually weird that I'm writing now of all times. I've just been goin through some things. I won't bore you with the details, but Ihope you enjoyed this enstallment. I'll try to write more soon. Until then, see ya.**


	10. Story Time

Story

-

 **Thanks, RedCide47 for your kind reviews.**

"I'm telling you, I saw, and fought, Sasuke." Says Naruto.

"You were angry about not finding him, it could have been just a dream." Kakashi says.

"I know I didn't imagine it. Hinata, use your Byakugan to see if I'm lying."

"I didn't say you were lying, I said your mind could be playing tricks on you."

"Whatever, I know what I saw. Let's just get back to the village."

 ***Time Skip***

 ****

In the Hokage's office, Lady Tsunade was doing what every kage hated, _paperwork_. She was just about to finish reading a document about a mission request, when Naruto burst through the door.

"Why did you call off the search!?" Naruto shouted. "Why didn't you let us continue?"

"Because I realized it was hopeless." Tsunade replied in a calm and controlled voice.

"What do you mean?" Asked a confused Naruto.

"I mean, people have been searching for him for years." Started Tsunade, "Do you honestly believe a group of nine could find him in a few days?"

"We have to keep trying!" Shouted Naruto.

"Naruto, that is enough!" Shouted the Hokage. "I have made my decision, and it is final."

Without another word, Naruto shunshinned out of the office.

"When did he learn to do that?" Asked a confused Kakashi.

 ***With Naruto***

 ****

"I. Can't. Believe. She. Did. That." Said a certain blond jinchuriki, accentuating each word with a punch to the tree he was currently abusing.

"I think you need a new tree."

Naruto, in his current state of mind, hadn't heard the person coming, so when he heard someone speak, it startled him. Without thinking, he turned and threw a punch in the direction of the voice.

The one who was the object of said punch narrowly dodged, having to reroute the attack to completely get away.

"Oh, it's you, Anko. Sorry about that." Said an embarrassed Naruto.

"It's fine. Considering how close you were to this Sasuke person, not being able to continue to try and lure him out must be difficult." Said Anko.

"That's just it," Naruto said with a humorless laugh, "every time we were in the same room, we'd be at each other's throats. We couldn't stand one another."

"Then why do you want to get him back so much?" Asked a confused Anko.

"Even though we were at each other's throats, we were all part of Team 7. We were like a little family. I've never had one, so it felt… nice."

Anko walked over to him, giving him a consoling pat on the shoulder.

"I'm sorry. I kind of know what it feels. When I first woke up, I had no one. I know it's not like the twelve years you went through, but just know that you aren't alone." Anko said, still giving Naruto a consoling rub on the shoulder.

"Thanks, Anko. It means a lot." Said Naruto.

"Of course, what are friends for?" Said a smiling Anko.

"Hey, if you don't mind me asking, why are you, you know, a teen again?" Asked a hesitant Naruto.

"I guess I might as well tell you." Anko said. "Well it all started about six months ago…"

 ***Flashback***

_"Ah…" Anko let out a cry in pain. Her hand grasped her neck, trying to relieve the pain._

 _"I see you're still going through pain flashes." Said a certain elite joining with gravity-defying hair._

 _"What do you expect? Ever since that snake bastard gave me this mark, I've been getting pains. It's not like there's anyone skilled enough in the sealing arts to remove it." Replied Anko._

 _"That's actually why I came to see you." Kakashi said._

 _"What do you mean?"_

 _"Haven't you ever wondered where Master Jiraiya learned the art of sealing?"_

 _"Not really." At this, Kakashi sweat dropped._

 _"Well he had to learn it somewhere. And I've been kind of curious. So, I started doing some investigating, being the good friend I am."_

 _"Shut up."_

 _"And so my investigations led me to a certain man by the name of Fuushi Waza. He was Master Jiraiya's sealing teacher."_

 _"And you tracked this person down? Alone?"_

 _"You're surprised?"_

 _"Kind of."_

 _"What little faith you have in me."_

 _"Just get on with it."_

 _"Well it turns out that Jiraiya had entrusted him with a top secret mission: to unravel the secrets of the cursed seal of heaven."_

 _"Are you serious!? Did he figure it out?"_

 _"As a matter of fact, he did. And I've been ordered to take you back to him so he can begin the ceremony."_

 ***End Flashback***

"After that, Kakashi took me to Fuushi. There, I sat in a room where he put sealing kanji all over me. I didn't understand a single bit of it."

"Do you know why you ended up at this age?"

"Fuushi told me he had to revert me age back to where the curse mark wasn't so imbedded. This was as old a I could be."

"Wow. You can do a lot with sealing."

"Tell me about it."


	11. Team 8 Plus Naruto

Naruto was walking through the Leaf Village with a content smile on his face. Despite the earlier troubles of that day, he was feeling much better. After his little chat with Anko, he felt he had one more precious person to protect.

Pausing for a second, Naruto took a minute to reminisce about his first C-rank mission. He had nearly lost Sasuke back then.

"It's not like back then matters, he's gone now, anyways." He mumbles.

"Who's gone now?" Apparently he didn't mumble quiet enough. Then Naruto remembers someone had spoken to him. He turns around to come face to face with none other than…

"Um, who are you?" Naruto asks.

Naruto looks up to see a man close to ten centimeters taller than himself. The man is wearing a long coat, with it's hood up. A high-collared shirt, dark glasses, regular shinobi pants, and sandals.

Realizing Naruto didn't know who he was, the man started to sulk.

"Hey, are you okay, dude?" Naruto asked worriedly.

"I'm just upset an old friend doesn't recognize me." Said the man.

"Well who are you?"

"It's me, Naruto. It's Shino."

"Wait, what? You're Shino? No wonder I didn't recognize you. I can't see any of your face."

"I knew who you were before I saw your face." Replied Shino.

"Well, uh…" Naruto was saved from replying when Kiba and Hinata ran up to the pair.

"Hey, Shino, sorry we took so long, Hinata had to, um, get something from the market. Yeah, that sounds good." explained Kiba.

"It is okay, Kiba. I was having a friendly conversation with Naruto here." Replied Shino.

"Oh, hey, Naruto. I hadn't seen you there." Admitted Kiba.

"Hey, Kiba, how have things been going since we got back?" Asked Naruto.

"Pretty well. Hinata and I have been hanging out a good bit." This comment making Hinata blush, though it went unnoticed by everyone. "And we just got a mission with Kurenai-sensei." Finished Kiba.

"Oh, wow, that's pre-" Before Naruto could finish, Kurenai jumped from a roof, interrupting him.

"Sorry I'm late, guys. Also, I can't go on this mission." Stated Kurenai, as quickly as she could.

"What!? Why not?" Asked Kiba.

"Something just came up. I'm going to need a replacement. I trust you'll be able to find one. It can be anyone of any rank, as long as you trust their strength. Remember, it's only a B-rank." With that, their sensei jumped back off towards her house.  
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"Man, that sucks. Who are we going to fin for a mission at such short notice." Complained Kiba.

"Well, I'm free." Explained Naruto.

"Are you sure you're up for this mission, Naruto? You're still only a genin." Asked Shino.

"Of course. I trained with a sannin for three years."

"That's perfect. We can still go on this mission!" Exclaimed an excited Kiba.

"Naruto, go pack for a three day mission. We've been assigned to take out a camp of bandits a day's worth of travel away. We're meeting at the west gate in one hour." Explained Shino.

"Understood. I'll see you guys then!" Naruto said, then he took of running towards his apartment.

 ***Time Skip***

Naruto showed up to his house within five minutes. He started rummaging through all his stuff, just dumped on his bed.

"Man, I really should have organized." He said to himself.

"Tell me about it. Did you accidentally use a wind jutsu in here?" Someone said.

"Who's there?" Asked an on edge Naruto.

"It's just me." Said Anko, revealing herself.

"Oh, hey, Anko. I'm just packing for a mission." Explained Naruto.

"You're already going on another mission?" Asked Anko.

"Yeah, with old team 8, minus Kurenai-sensei." Explained Naruto.

"Lucky. What's the objective."

"We're just going to be taking out a camp of bandits."

"Lucky."

"You just said that."

"Doesn't mean it not true."

"I guess so."

"Well when you get back, we should go out and have some dango."

"I'm down." As Naruo said this, he shut a book, and started heading for the door. "Come on, Ankp, I'm heading out."

"But you don't have a pack?"

"It's all sealed away in this book. I traveled with a seal master for a few years. Of course I'm going to pick up a few tricks."

"I guess that's true."

"Now come on, I only have about forty-five minutes to get to the west gate, and I intend to take the scenic route."

"Mind if I come along?"

"If you want."

They both head out, going through the park to get to the gate.

 ***Time Skip***

"Wow, the cherry blossoms are you beautiful this year." Said an amazed Anko.

"Tell me about it. I haven't seen 'em in a while." Replied Naruto.

As their walking continued, so did their talking. It ranged from favorite candy, to favorite killing method.

"And I say that a straightforward throat slice is easier!" Exclaimed Naruto, drawing a bit of attention.

"Quiet it down a bit, you're going to make people think we're psycho serial killers." Scolded Anko.

"We kind of are, though. We're shinobi after all." Explained Naruto.

"Good point..." Replied Anko.

"Well here we are. This is the gate." Announced Naruto.

"Then I guess I'll see you in a few days." Said Anko, albeit reluctantly.

"Yeah, I'll make sure to tell you when we get back." Stated Naruto.

"Good, well, see you later." Said Anko.

With that, Naruto walked off to meet up with Kiba, Shino, and Hinata. After a quick greeting, they all headed off toward their destination. One thought played throughout Anko's mind.

'Hurry back.'


	12. Mission Goes Sour

"Tell me what you see, Hinata." Ordered Shino.

"I see ten normal bandits with civilian-sized chakra, five with chunin level chakra, and two with low jonin level chakra, which are being protected by the ten." Replied the Hyuga, using her byakugan to scout out the enemy.

Currently, Team 8, along with Naruto, was in the middle of a B turned A-rank mission. They were to take out the bandit camp they were currently scouting out. The scouting was fairly easy. They hid under the cover of night, the new moon hanging in the  
sky, while Hinata use her family's doujutsu to spy on the enemy.

"Damn, that means it's officially an A-rank mission." Muttered Naruto.

"Are you seriously complaining, man? It's time to kick some ass." Whispered Kiba excitedly.

"Sometimes just rushing in can get you killed. It's possible we're in over our heads. What do you guys think? It is your mission after all." Explained Naruto.

"I have to agree with Naruto. It's most logical to pull out and let a more experienced ninja handle it." Said Shino.

"I say we stay and fight." Said Kiba, further extending his point with a punch to his hand.

"What about you Hinata. If you agree to stay, I'll concede and fight alongside you. If you were to agree to leave, then we all leave." Said Naruto.

"I-I'd like to, uh, leave. I-I don't believe w-we are ready f-for this, y-yet." Explained Hinata.

"What!? Are you guys serious? Fine, I'll take them all on by myself!" Kiba exclaimed, running off toward the camp.

"Shit. Let's go before he gets himself killed." Ordered Naruto before he jumped off after the brash Inuzuka. Soon he was followed by the two remaining members of Team 8.

Soon enough, the trio came upon Kiba getting knocked around by three men that appeared to be chunin level ninja.

After surveying the area, Naruto noticed two bloodied bodies, which he presumed to be the victims of a surprise attack. When he heard Hinata gasp and start running toward Kiba, he looked over to the fight. The first thing he saw was Kiba on the ground,  
unable to get up due to a bloody leg. The second thing Naruto noticed was one of the missing-nins about to decapitate said Inuzuka.

Without thinking, Naruto used a quick substitution with Kiba. He appeared laying down where Kiba was. He quickly pulled a kunai out of his pouch, jumped up, and stabbed the aforementioned knife through the ex-chunin's throat, effectively killing him.  
Before anyone could react, he ripped the kunai out and threw it into another man's skull.

After the death of his other two comrades, the final shinobi seemed to reestablish himself to the point where he could block the kick his enemy had just launched at his head, albeit at the last minute. Plus, with the kick being as powerful as it was,  
he was still launched into the side of a building.

After launching the single remaining chunin into a building, Naruto rushed over to Kiba. As soon as he made it to Team 8, he crouched down and asked, "Is he alright?"

"His leg seems to be broken. I'll do what I can, but I'm not a medic. Shino and I can take care of him, go finish the job." Hinata said with an air of confidence.

'Man, I've never seen Hinata like this. Well, if Pervy Sage taught me anything, it's to never anger a woman.' With that last thought, Naruto took off toward the center of camp.

He didn't get very far before the chunin from before jumped in his path. He was wearing a dark green gi with white trimming. His red hair fell loosely to his shoulders. His marked out Kiri headband kept his bangs out of his face. The untrimmed tail of  
his headband flowed in the wind, easily passing the two feet mark.

"That kick hurt like a-"

"Language! I'm still just a child." Yelled Naruto, interrupting the foul-mouthed rogue. "Now, let's get started."

At those words, both ninja jumped into a fierce battle. Both of them had drawn a kunai, opting to make the battle quick. The first one to draw blood was the older ninja.

"Looks like first blood goes to me." State the man proudly.

"Unless you count when I kicked your sorry ass into that barn." Retorted the blond.

"Urg! You'll pay for that comment, runt!" Yelled the obviously embarrassed and angered male.

"It's not my fault you're so weak you let a 16 year old defeat you." Naruto said as he easily dodged the enraged man's strikes.

"I'll show you who's weak you little fu-"

"What did I say about your language?" Naruto interrupted once again. He dodged one more of the older ninja's strikes before making use of an opening in his opponent's defenses. With speed that surprised his enemy, Naruto jabbed his kunai into his lung.  
Without thinking, he removed the kunai with a spin, then implanting it inside his opponent's head.

With that nuisance dealt with, Naruto resumed his run towards the largest tent, which he assumed would hold the remaining enemies. He ran for what felt like an eternity, but was actually only about two minutes. Old habits die hard, and his impatience  
was definitely an old habit.

When Naruto arrived to the front of the tent, four of the twelve remaining opposing party stood guarding the entrance. He made quick work of them, not even stopping when he threw the four needed shuriken into various vital spots. He quickly jumped through  
the tent, automatically summoning ten shadow clones.

The tent was huge. It was in a normal circular fashion, but the radius alone had to be close to about twenty feet, and the height had to go to about thirty feet, at least. You could tell this doubled as a mess hall, as there were four tables with long  
benches next to them. Some tables even still had plates on them from their earlier dinner.

The original Naruto along with his extra four made a B line for the two jonin, while the other six dealt with the normal bandits. With his initial surprise, they were dealt with quickly. Only one or two of the better bandits put up a fight, but they were  
still easily taken care of. Now his problem was the two ex-jonin. Both obviously from Kusa, seeing as their marked out headbands were around their waist.

They may have been from the same village, but besides their forehead protector placement, that's where their similarities ended. The first man, though giant was more accurate, stood at around six and a half feet. His muscular frame was obviously kept  
in peak condition. He looked like he belonged in Kumo. His head was void of any hair. His tan chest bare except for a scar running from his navel to the beginning of his left rib cage, and a strap that held a giant sledgehammer position so he could  
grab it over his right soldier. His white shorts were, well, not exactly white anymore. He obviously didn't bathe enough. Not only were his pants matted with mud, blood, and other bodily fluids, but Naruto could smell him even at the distance of about  
twenty feet.

The other one was a stark contrast. His pale, bespectacled face was the only skin one could see of him. He stood at about 5'2", and had long, curly black hair that went about mid back. His white shirt was short sleeved and spotless. Though white wrappings  
went from before the shirt began, all the way to the tips of his fingers on both hands, though you could see how skinny he was through the wrappings. He had on baggy pants that were taped off at the mid-shin, with more wrapping covering the rest of  
his feet, and white ninja sandal. Despite how dirty his partner was, there wasn't a single spot on any piece of his outfit.

'So the giant is definitely a taijutsu user. I'm not sure about shorty, but it could either be nin or genjutsu.' Thought Naruto as he continued running at them with his entourage.

"Now, let's see how you two fight!" Naruto yelled as he launched a flying kick at the giant, while his four clones went against his short friend.  
 **  
**

 **I know, cliche cliffhanger. But do you know how long it took for me to come up with chapter? Obviously not very long, seeing as I'm updating twice in one week. Surprising, I know. Still, I've been up all night writing this, and it's been fun. I'll try to write more soon, but, I do somewhat have a life. Not really. Until next time.**


	13. End of a Mission

His first attack did little more than just stagger his opponent. Once he landed, he launched a sweep kick, trying to knock him over. The bigger man didn't even try to dodge. He just let the leg crash into his own. His opponent smashed a large fist into  
the ground, smashing the place where he had just been.

'I can't let him hit me. One hit and I'll most likely be out.' Concluded Naruto.

With that in mind, he decided he should use deadly force. Naruto blurred through hand signs.

"Wind Style: Blades of Wind." Naruto launched the sharp currents at his opponent using his arm like a blade. But he quickly discovered that even the sharp winds could not pierce his skin. The only outward sign his opponent showed of being attacked was  
him staggering back a bit.

'Damn it, why won't my attacks affect him." Cursed the blonde.

Coming up with an idea, he went through one more series of hand signs before sucking in air, and spitting out balls of condensed air.

"Wind Style:Air Bullet."

Just as before, nothing happened. He made a quick glance towards the other man. All four clones remained. He was relying solely on dodging, not throwing a single attack. It definitely proved his theory of not being a taijutsu user. That left gen or ninjutsu.

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Before the blonde could further his thoughts, his opponent came rushing at him, intent on finishing his fight in order to help his partner.

Naruto quickly dodged, barely missing an earth shattering kick. He quickly made a Rasengan and threw it at his opponent, but, just like with the air bullets and wind blades, it quickly dissipated, doing little more than stalling the giant for a second.

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'Well, there's one last thing I can do.' Naruto thought before going through yet another set of hand seals. Sucking in a great deal of oxygen, he held it for no more than a second. When he released it, it wasn't in short, condensed bits of air,  
it was all at once. Like a tidal wave of strong winds.

"Wind Style: Great Breakthrough."

Caught by surprise, the giant of a man could do nothing but fly off, crashing through the tent. This made his partner momentarily lose focus, which was all the clones need to capitalize on.

All at once, the four shadow clones drew a kunai, and stabbed into the older ninja, each knife hitting a vital organ, effectively bloodying his previously white shirt. In a sickening suction-like sound, the four kunai were removed from the now  
dead enemy ninja. The clones then quickly dispelled.

"SAZA!" The beast of a man shouted. He was obviously enraged by his partner's death. "You'll pay for what you've done."

"Oh, my bad, was that your partner? Would it make you less angry if I apologized?" Asked Naruto.

With another shout, the giant rushed toward the blond, seeking vengeance for his friend's murder.

"I take that as a 'no'" replied Naruto, easily dodging the sloppy punches.

After about a minute of dodging, Naruto became bored. With his next dodge, he pulled a kunai out, and drove it into his enemy's ribs, making sure to hit his liver.

With both of his enemies dead, Naruto turned around and started walking out. He was just about to exit the large tent, when one of the bandits inside jumped in front of him.

"You killed Saza and Kyokan. They were my meal tickets. You'll pay for that!" With those words, the bandit ran towards the blonde, hold his sword above his head.

"Huh, I guess one got away from me. Well I can't just let him go and have him seek revenge on me later." Said the Uzumaki before he quickly threw a shuriken into the man's throat, thus ending his life.

*Time Skip*

"Hey guys, how's Dog Breath?" Naruto asked as he walked up to his temporary team.

"Hey! I heard that!" Shouted the aforementioned "Dog Breath".

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever you say." Replied Naruto. "Is he ready to move? I don't feel like staying here very long."

"Sorry, but he can't be moved, not until his leg is healed a bit more. I know a few basic techniques, but I'm not a medic-nin." Replied Hinata.

"What are you talking about? I'm completely fine. I could run for days." Argued Kiba. But when he tried to get up, he immediately fell back down in pain. "On second thought, I wouldn't mind hanging out for a few days."

"Here, let me see if I can help." Said Naruto as he did a few hand seals. As he approached Kiba, his hands emitted a green aura. He hovered his hands over his teammate's leg for about a minute, then he pulled his hands away, letting the green  
die away.

"There, I helped a bit, but we'll probably still be here for a couple days." Said Naruto.

"Wh-what did you just do?" Asked Hinata. "Where did you learn medical ninjutsu?"

"Oh, well I traveled with Pervy Sage for three years. His teammate was Granny Tsunade. Of course he picked up a few tricks. He taught me the few techniques I could learn." Replied Naruto.

With that explanation, the group split up to do different things. Naruto created a few dozen shadow clones to clear out all the bodies throughout the camp. They then grabbed Kiba and hauled him off to one of the smaller tents stationed around  
the camp.

In short order, they were all settled in different tents, with the exception of Hinata and Kiba, and had set up a watch between the Naruto, Shino, and Hinata, in that order.

*Time Skip*

"Hey, I think I'm ready to move." Said Kiba.

"Well try standing up." Offered Naruto.

The Inuzuka then took the advice, going fairly slow. Before long, he was up and walking. He stretched his leg a bit to test it out.

"Hmm, seems like I'm ready to move. Let's stop wasting time and start moving." Announced Kiba.

"Good idea. I only packed for three days. We were lucky that the bandits had a food store." Replied Naruto.

With that, the group started heading back towards The Hidden Leaf Village. Back towards home.

 **A/N: I know I said that Saza and Kyokan were Jounin level, but look at the facts. Naruto was trained by a Sannin, an I mean actually trained, for three years. Plus, when he beat Saza, his opponent was distracted. When he beat Kyokan, his opponent was angry, therefore sloppy.**

 **As for the medical jutsu, it's explained how he knows that. If there are any concerns, post review on the story.  
**


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